Improve Your Lacrosse Goalie Skills with These Essential Drills and Gear

Improve Your Lacrosse Goalie Skills with These Essential Drills and Gear

Perfect positioning and footwork with movement drills

As a lacrosse goalie, having proper positioning and footwork is absolutely essential for making saves consistently. Some of the best drills to develop these fundamental skills involve movement patterns designed to simulate real game situations.

Ladder drills are excellent for honing footwork technique and improving agility. Set up a ladder on the ground and practice various footwork patterns like two feet in each box, side shuffles, crossovers, and backward runs. Focus on keeping your feet quick and your body low in an athletic stance throughout the movements. Change up the patterns to challenge your coordination and reactions.

Cone drills also help strengthen positioning skills. Set up a series of cones in the goal crease to represent different shot angles. Practice dropping into stance, moving laterally, and recovering to each cone as quickly as possible. Have a coach or teammate call out a random sequence of cones and work on exploding from stance to reach each cone in proper saving position.

Angle breakaway drills are great for real-world positioning practice. Have a coach or teammate start with the ball 30+ yards out and drive in towards the goal at various angles. As they approach, work on gaining proper depth and angle in the crease to cut off their path and make the save. Focus on short adjustments with your feet to mirror their stick and body position. React as if it is a real shot on goal.

By mastering proper goalie techniques like dropping into stance, shuffling, recoveries, and angle positioning in dynamic movement drills, you can develop the footwork and positioning required to make difficult saves and dominate the crease area.

Build hand-eye coordination with tennis balls

Sharpening your hand-eye coordination as a lacrosse goalie is vital for tracking shots and making saves. One of the best ways to improve this skill is through simple tennis ball drills.

Have a teammate or coach stand 10-15 yards in front of you and throw tennis balls directly at your body from different angles. Keep your hands active and work on catching each ball cleanly with two hands. Start slow and increase the speed and unpredictability. This drill forces you to zero in on the ball with your eyes and sync your hands to make the catch.

Another great tennis ball drill is the point blank save. Have a partner stand 5 yards away and rapidly fire tennis balls at your chest and midsection using their stick. Concentrate on reacting quickly and absorbing the impact with your stick and body while keeping the balls in front of you. This challenges your reflexes and hand speed to stop fast shots up close.

For added difficulty, try tennis ball drills while moving laterally. Set up cones or markers and have your training partner throw or shoot balls as you shuffle side to side between the markers. Fight to track the ball with your eyes while keeping your hands and stick active to snag each ball on the move.

Juggling tennis balls also helps sharpen hand-eye coordination for goalies. Start with one ball and practice keeping it in the air with your stick. As you improve, add more balls into the mix. This works the quick reactions and handling skills needed to corral tough saves and passes.

By making tennis balls a regular part of your goalie training, you can significantly improve the hand-quickness, tracking, and coordination required to dominate between the pipes.

Strengthen reaction time with shooter drills

Lightning-quick reaction time is paramount for lacrosse goalies when facing shots. Doing regular shooter drills with teammates or coaches is one of the best ways to sharpen this critical skill.

Set up a shooter at 10-15 yards out and have them take continuous shots aimed at your torso and stick. Concentrate on reacting as soon as you see their motion, exploding into position, and making firm saves. This repetitive drill grooves your ability to perceive shots early and get your body moving instantly. Have the shooter vary placement and shot type to keep you guessing.

Closing your eyes during shooter drills forces you to rely purely on reaction time. Have the shooter call out when they are about to shoot, close your eyes and get set, then explode towards the shot based on the auditory cue. This drill isolates reaction time and removes vision as a crutch.

Odd-angle reaction drills also improve speed. Position yourself behind the goal and have a partner stand adjacent to the crease. As they yell “shot”, work on bursting back around the goal as quickly as possible to make the save. Changing up your starting position and angle strains your reactions.

Another way to challenge reactions is through distraction drills. While facing shots, have a coach or teammate wave sticks, yell, or throw objects to distract your focus. Fighting to ignore distractions and stay zoned in on shots pushes reaction ability.

By emphasizing shooter drills in practice, lacrosse goalies can achieve the rapid-fire reaction time needed to stop point blank shots and excel between the pipes.

Develop clearing skills using goalie outlet drills

Being able to make a good outlet pass to transition from defense to offense is a valuable skill for lacrosse goalies. Here are some effective goalie outlet drill to practice.

Set up a couple players as simulated defensemen in front of the crease and have another player act as your outlet a good distance away. Have the defenders lightly pressure you and work on using proper footwork to create a passing lane to hit your outlet target. Focus on ball handling technique, faking out defenders, and delivering an accurate pass.

Outlet drills under extreme pressure also help. Add more defenders or have them aggressively double team you to simulate a tight ride. Fight to handle the ball cleanly, evade defenders, and deliver the outlet pass on target. Have the outlet player switch sides to vary the angle.

Over the shoulder outlet passing drills improve awareness and technique. Position a defender between you and the outlet so you must locate the target over your shoulder. Use proper footwork, look over your shoulder, and step into the outlet throw without hesitate. Check to multiple outlets during the drill.

To increase difficulty, do outlet drills on the run. Have a coach or teammate pass you the ball then sprint out in transition. Work on cleanly fielding the pass then quickly passing to your outlet before the ride catches up. This mimics a fast break scenario.

By mastering outlet drills as part of practice, lacrosse goalies gain the passing and clearing ability to spark the transition game and be an offensive catalyst for their team.

Improve awareness with angle drills

Having complete awareness of the positioning and movement of the ball and players around you is crucial for lacrosse goalies. Angle drills help develop this critical awareness skill.

Set up cones or markers in a large arc around the goal crease. Have a teammate stand at each cone with a ball. One by one, have them drive towards you from different sharp angles. As they approach, focus completely on body position and stick to read the angle of their shot. React and make the save accordingly.

You can increase complexity by having multiple shooters go simultaneously from different cones. Fight to track all shooters in your periphery while isolating the ball carrier and reading their body language to discern their angle and shot placement.

Odd man rush drills also improve awareness. Have 2 or 3 teammates charge the crease simultaneously, passing the ball between them. Work on reading their spacing and positioning, calling out ball location, anticipating the shot, and reacting to make the save. This translates directly to in-game awareness.

For added challenge, do angle drills with a coach or teammate waving sticks and yelling distractions at you. Having to focus through disruptions while maintaining complete court awareness pushes this skill to game-like levels.

Goalies who regularly perform awareness angle drills and odd man rush simulations develop the superior vision, instincts, and shot anticipation to shut down offenses.

Practice shot blocking with rebounds

Mastering shot blocking is an essential skill for dominating between the pipes as a lacrosse goalie. One of the best ways to develop this skill is by incorporating rebounds into practice.

Have a shooter take repetitive shots aimed just outside your stick’s reach. Focus on quickly reacting, getting a piece of the ball to block it, then immediately pouncing on the rebound before it trickles in. Fight to gain control of the rebound with your stick, hands or body.

You can increase the difficulty by allowing the shooter to play their rebound and take a second shot. After making the initial save, immediately recover and reset to make the second save. This advanced drill improves rebound reactions and shot blocking stamina.

Odd angle rebound drills also help. Position the shooter at an extreme tough angle and have them bounce shot attempts off your pads or body so you have to recover and corral the tricky rebound before it deflects in. Scrambling for saves from all angles builds blocking skills.

To work on blocking bounce shots specifically, have the shooter take repetitive low to high shots aimed at your feet. Drill dropping into stance, cutting off the bounce shot, blocking it with your stick and legs, then quickly securing the rebound. This replicates common in-game scenarios.

By drilling rebound saves and shot blocking reps, lacrosse goalies can achieve the advanced hand and body positioning needed to shut down offenses and control the crease.

Train quick decision making with rapid fire drills

Speeding up your decision-making skills is vital for handling the fast pace of lacrosse as a goalie. Rapid fire drills are an excellent way to sharpen this ability.

Set up two shooters on either side of the crease about 10-15 yards out. Have them alternate taking quick shots aimed at your hips and torso. As the shots come in rapid succession, focus completely on making split-second save decisions based on stick placement, footwork, and body position. Allow no hesitation or delay.

You can add more shooters or tighten up their spacing to increase shot frequency. Forcing yourself to react and make saves instinctually under chaotic rapid fire conditions ingrains quick decision making necessary in games.

Rapid outlet passing is another way to train quick decisions. After blocking a shot, have a defender instantly pressure you. Make quick reads on the best passing option then hit your outlet target decisively. Repeat this drill continuously to sharpen your post-save decision speed.

Rapid fire shot blocking drills with hidden shooters also help. Have assistants set up to shoot from behind visual barriers. React instantly as shots emerge, making quick decisions on approach angle, save technique, and rebound control.

By pushing decision speed with challenging rapid fire drills, lacrosse goalies can achieve the fast reactions and instincts to dominate high pressure game situations.

Enhance technique with stick skills practice

For lacrosse goalies, having sound fundamental stick skills is imperative for making saves and clearing effectively. Dedicated practice is key for developing and sharpening these vital techniques.

Work on stick handling drills to tighten up cradle, scoops, and ball control. Practice quick sticks, changing hands, and switching grips while cradling at full speed. Do toe drag drills to work on manipulating ball position all around your stick. Mastering versatile stick handling gives you an edge in chaotic crease situations.

Pass and catch drills also hone passing technique. Work on hitting targets at various distances with pinpoint accuracy. Emphasize proper mechanics on outlets like stepping into throws and following through. Have partners rapidly pass the ball around to refine quick-stick passing and one-touch catches.

Drill picking corner shots to dial in saver technique. Take hundreds of repetitions snagging high and low shots cleanly with proper hand positioning. Do the same for bounce shots, practicing controlling saves and securing rebounding balls off the ground.

By dedicating time each practice to sharpening their stick skills, lacrosse goalies can achieve the high level ball handling, passing, and shot stopping ability that sets elite netminders apart.

Increase flexibility and range with yoga

Flexibility and full range of motion are vital physical traits for lacrosse goalies when moving in the crease and making saves. Regularly practicing yoga is an excellent way to improve these abilities.

Yoga poses like downward dog, child’s pose, and triangle pose lengthen tight hips and strengthen core muscles needed for explosive motions. Standing balances like tree pose enhance proprioception and ankle stability for quick side-to-side movements.

Seated twists increase torso and back flexibility, allowing for greater rotation when tracking shots. Poses like pigeon stretch the hips, groin, and glutes to enable dropping smoothly into an athletic stance.

Yoga flows with sun salutations and vinyasas improve mobility through the shoulders and thoracic spine, increasing range of motion overhead for snagging high shots. Arm balances like crow pose build wrist stability for secure saves.

Finishing yoga sessions with stretches for the neck, hips, hamstrings, and shoulders can help restore and improve flexibility after intense goalie-specific training.

Making yoga’s flexibility and mobility boosting benefits part of your routine gives lacrosse goalies the agility, range of motion, and durability needed to excel through a long season.

Improve focus and visualization with mental imagery

Mental skills like focus, concentration, and visualization are just as important as physical traits for top lacrosse goalies. Practicing mental imagery drills helps develop these key mental abilities.

Visualize shot sequences in your mind before practice. Picture shooters’ motions and the path of the ball in vivid detail. Envision yourself reacting, moving into position, and making the save decisively. Mentally rehearsing saves this way helps engrain proper technique and timing.

Use imagery during shooting drills. As shots come in, see and feel yourself executing perfect form – dropping step, lateral shuffle, exact hand position to snag the ball out of the air. Imagining flawless execution helps drive consistent performance.

Visualize game situations like a late-game save or penalty shot. Imagine sensory cues like crowd noise. Picture the exact shot speed, angle and trajectory. Feel yourself responding with ideal timing and body control. This mental rehearsal builds confidence and focus for pressure moments.

Envision accomplishing training goals like new save percentages or completing a tough footwork drill. Imagining the process and successfully achieving your goal helps drive motivation and concentration during preparation.

Making mental imagery a regular part of practice allows lacrosse goalies to develop the mental sharpness, focus and concentration needed to excel under pressure when it matters most.

Test skills against lacrosse goalie dummies

Lacrosse goalie dummies are an excellent training tool for sharpening skills and technique in a realistic environment. Practicing against dummies provides high-quality shot reps that maximize growth between the pipes.

The solid frame and weight of dummies simulate real shooters coming down the alley, allowing you to practice covering angles and dropping into saves against legitimate shots rather than light tossed balls. Their adjustable arms let you vary shot placement for well-rounded development.

Dummies set up rapid fire shooting stations for high repetition training. Take hundreds of shots each session, dialing in fundamentals like footwork, reaction time, hand positioning and rebound control through pure repetition. Volume is vital.

You can strategically position dummies around the crease to mimic in-game shooter formations and practice moving into position, cutting off lanes, and reacting to shots from every angle.

Goalie dummies are also great for solo training when live shooters aren’t available. The ability to get quality shot reps anytime allows you to put in the volume needed to accelerate skill progression.

Incorporating lacrosse goalie dummies into practice provides highly effective shot repetition that gives you the tools to master technique and gain a competitive edge in the crease.

Make saves more consistent with elevation trainers

Lacrosse goalie elevation trainers are a valuable asset for producing more consistent saves. The unique resistance bands provide strength training that directly correlates to stopping shots between the pipes.

Elevation trainers attach resistance bands to your wrists, forcing you to counteract the pull throughout your motion. This trains the save muscles used to snag shots and control rebounds in game situations.

Varying the band strength trains explosive power needed to react and move laterally across the crease. Heavier bands build arm and shoulder stability for handling heavy shots without getting pulled out of position.

The continuous tension strengthens your glove hand grip to securely clamp down on saves even when getting slashed. Keeping hands active against resistance engrains solid fundamentals.

Portable elevation trainers allow you to strengthen save mechanics anywhere. Getting daily quality reps provides an advantage over goalies who only train during scheduled practices.

By directly targeting the specific muscles and movements needed for lacrosse saves, elevation trainers give goalies the strength and fundamentals to make stops more consistently during games.

Get quality reps with shooter machines

Lacrosse shooter machines are an invaluable training asset for goalies looking to get high-quality shot reps. The ball speed, accuracy and consistency of shooter machines allows for highly focused skill development.

Shooter machines launch balls at precise game-like velocities, forcing you to master handling faster reaction speeds. Their dialed-in accuracy strengthens fundamentals by exposing flaws you can then correct.

The repetitive consistency of machines provides high volume training for skills like rebound control, redirecting shots, and recovering out of position to make second saves.

Adjustable settings like shot speed and location allow you to manipulate drills to work on specific weaknesses. Machines enable solo training for skill sharpening anytime without needing shooters.

With machines, you can set up complex multi-shot reaction drills that improve focus and stamina through sheer repetition – a key training element.

Taking advantage of lacrosse shooter machines drills gives goalies access to high-intensity, focused training for rapid skill development and technique mastery between the pipes.

Analyze performance with game footage review

Analyzing game film is an invaluable learning tool for lacrosse goalies aiming to maximize development. Breaking down footage of saves, goals against, clears and other key situations provides objective insight into strengths, weaknesses and areas needing improvement.

Review footage of each goal against – Was it a function of slow reaction time, improper positioning, poor technique or a mental mistake? Diagnose the root cause to focus training.

Study save technique on shots you stopped successfully. Analyze footwork, hand position, balance and other mechanics. Look for minor inconsistencies even on saves to continue honing fundamentals.

Watch clearing attempts and decision making with the ball. Could you have made a better pass? Did you miss seeing an open teammate? Game film doesn’t lie.

See how you move together with defenders on odd-man rushes. Look for communication, goalie rotation and team save responsibility lapses causing breakdowns.

Chart shot locations, situational statistics, time of possession and other metrics to understand shooting tendencies and scenarios you need to train for.

Leveraging game footage gives lacrosse goalies an honest perspective for improvement. Dedicated video analysis unlocks new levels of strategic, technical and tactical development.

Prevent injury and stay conditioned with strength training

Proper strength and conditioning is vital for lacrosse goalies seeking to maximize performance and durability. A tailored strength program builds the physical capabilities required for the position while reducing injury risk.

Full body plyometric exercises like squat jumps, lunge jumps and lateral bounds develop the explosive power needed for quick lateral movements and reaction saves. Goalie-specific agility drills maintain top-end reactivity.

Targeted core training stabilizes the hips and shoulders for balance during saves and rapid changes of direction. Rotational core work builds torque to swing sticks stopping shots.

Upper body and grip strength allows for securely saving harder shots and maintaining control of rebounds. Wrist and forearm strength ensures solid fundamentals saving outside the crease.

Proper hip, glute and hamstring strengthening safeguards against common knee and groin strains goalies suffer from extreme ranges of motion. Preventative injury focus is key.

Dedicated lacrosse goalie strength and conditioning gives you the physical tools to perform at a high level consistently through an entire season and career.